Titled the DHAN series, it consists of base modules that include a fully fitted bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living space as well as smaller expansion modules such as additional bedrooms or living areas. With over ten different modules to choose from, multiple configurations can be created to suit any family, lifestyle or site. This allows owners to extend or add freestanding modules when needed as well as having the flexibility to downsize over time.

The DHAN series is characterised by finishes and details developed in Donovan Hill’s domestic architecture. Off-white interiors with timber window and door frames allow the personalisation of interiors by owners. The timber pelmet incorporates general room lighting as well as provision for art and curtain hanging. Plywood exteriors suit Australian environmental conditions and are offered with a colour choice to suit individual settings. Distinctive roof forms and coloured ventilation flaps characterise the exterior form.

Completed entirely off site in controlled factory conditions the modules take between 4-12 weeks to complete and can be installed on site within days. This is great for the environment as only one trip to the site is needed instead of builders and deliveries having to travel to the site each day over a number of months.

Due to their quick construction and flexibility this type of housing can also make a difference in emergency relief. Donovan Hill’s Happy Haus model was amongst nineteen designs selected for the Bushfire Homes Service for rebuilding homes that were destroyed in the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

• www.happyhaus.com.au
• www.donovanhill.com.au
• www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au

Photography: Jon Linkins

Images via archdaily

Designed by Chenchow Little Architects, the house is situated in the coastal Sydney suburb of Harbord, overlooking Queenscliffe Bay and an adjacent reserve.

From the street the house appears as a modernist black box floating above a wall of weathered timber slats. Made from recylcled spotted gum, the timber slats conceal the garage while also forming a podium for the garden terrace and main living area above.

The use of full height glazing and sliding doors creates a strong connection between the internal living areas and the lawned terrace. (How cool is the lone tree and the little lawn mound?)

The bedrooms on the the upper level are enclosed by a series of dark metal slatted screens. These operable screens allow the house to take advantage of the amazing view through extensive glazing while still allowing for sun control and privacy.

Photos: John Gollings

For more work by Chenchow Little Architects visit their website here.

Related Post:

• 2008 Robin Boyd Award winner: Klein Bottle House – McBride Charles Ryan

The Vader House, design by Andrew Maynard Architects is an extension to a two storey Victorian terrace house located in inner city Melbourne. The form, dictated by planning restrictions and the tight site, is a clever solution that creates open, flexible spaces and blurs the boundaries between inside and out.

Some of my favourite details in this thoroughly considered house include; the folded steel stair, the expressed hanging beam over the walkway to the existing building that  appears as if it’s floating over the lounge space and, the sliding deck that reveals a hidden spa beneath. I also really like the warmth and grittiness that is created by leaving the existing brick walls exposed in contrast to the clean, hard edges of the new joinery.

I’m pretty sure the name “Vader House” refers to the black, machine-like steel structure and louvres having a slight resemblance to the helmet of the Star Wars character Darth Vader (see video below).

For more information and photos visit the Andrew Maynard Architects website here.

Photos: Peter Bennetts

The Highgate Hill Residence, by Richard Kirk Architects is a beautifully detailed house located in the inner Brisbane suburb of Highgate Hill.

Screened from the street by fine hardwood timber battens, the living area opens up to built-up platforms of timber decking and lawn, which in turn overlook the lush gully beyond.

‘In response to the dominance of the landscape, the house is entirely clad in timber and uses timber glazed façade systems where each species is selected to age in response to its orientation and weathering.’ – Richard Kirk Architects

The living and kitchen areas open up completely to the north and east through the use of sliding, stacking hardwood doors.

Spatially, the internal void over the living area plays quite an important role in the house. It creates a vertical connection with the existing trees outside to the north, allows daylight to flood the space from the south and separates the children’s bedrooms from the master bedroom on the upper floor.

‘The stair is an important organizational reference between the levels and is treated as a sculptural element that twists slightly within the void to allow its form to visually link all levels.’ – Richard Kirk Architects

Photos: Patrick Bingham Hall, Scott Burrows 

For further reading visit the Richard Kirk Architects website here.

This has been one of my favourite Australian houses for quite a while now. Designed by Casey Brown Architecture, the house is located on a steep 45 degree slope at Mackeral Beach in NSW. It consists of three pavilions; the upper housing the main bedroom, the lower two housing the living and kitchen and beneath those are the guest bedroom and bathroom. I really like the use of materials (stone, steel, timber, glass and copper) allowing the building to blend nicely into the surrounding environment. The slender black steel structure and extensive use of glass creates a beautiful glowing ‘lantern like’ structure at night and I particularly like the frameless glass of the upper windows at the corners each pavilion.

For further reading visit The Cool Hunter

www.caseybrown.com.au

The Klein Bottle House, designed by McBride Charles Ryan, was recently awarded the 2008 Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture – the highest award for residential architecture in Australia.

"This holiday house is situated on the Mornington Peninsula 1.5 hrs drive from Melbourne. It is located within the tee-tree on the sand dunes, a short distance from the wild 16 beach. From the outset MCR wanted a building that nestled within the tree line. That talked about journey and the playfulness of holiday time."

"What began as a spiral or shell like building developed into a more complex spiral, the Klein bottle. MCR were keen to be topologically true to the Klein bottle but it had to function as a home. We thought an origami version of the bottle would be achievable and hold some ironic fascination. (The resulting Fibre Cement version also has a comforting relationship to the tradition of the Aussie cement sheet beach house). The house revolves around a central courtyard, a grand regal stair connecting all the levels. There is a sense of both being near and far to all occupants."

Photos: John Gollings

www.mcbridecharlesryan.com.au